One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Regiment Maryland Volunteers

One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Regiment Maryland Volunteers
Unit name	One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Regiment Maryland Volunteers
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Dates	1862–1865
Size	Regiment
Notable commanders	John R. Kenly; George H. Steuart; Lew Wallace

One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Regiment Maryland Volunteers was an infantry regiment raised in Maryland for service in the American Civil War. Organized during the summer of 1862, the regiment served in multiple theaters, participating in operations across Virginia, Maryland, and the Western Theater, and was mustered out in 1865. Its service intersected with principal formations such as the Army of the Potomac, the Department of the Ohio, and elements of the Army of the Cumberland during key campaigns.

Formation and Organization

The regiment was formed amid recruitment efforts in Baltimore, Frederick, and surrounding counties in response to enlistment calls issued after the Second Battle of Bull Run and during the tenure of Abraham Lincoln's administration. Companies were raised under commissions granted by the Maryland governor and coordinated with the War Department and local militia organizations including veterans of the Maryland Line (Confederate) who remained loyal to the Union. Officers received commissions often influenced by political figures such as Francis Thomas and federal military authorities including commanders from the Department of the Potomac.

Service History

After organization and drilling at muster points in Baltimore and Annapolis, the regiment was mustered into federal service and assigned to garrison and field duty. Initially attached to brigades operating near the Chesapeake Bay and the Pocomoke River, the regiment later transferred to formations serving under George B. McClellan's successors in the Eastern Theater. Elements were redeployed westward, coming under the operational control of commanders tied to the Department of the Ohio and campaigns associated with Ulysses S. Grant and William Rosecrans. The regiment undertook guard duty, reconnaissance, and line-of-communication security around rail nodes such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and participated in offensive operations in support of corps-level maneuvers.

Engagements and Campaigns

The regiment saw action in skirmishes and larger encounters tied to major campaigns. It took part in operations near Antietam (Sharpsburg), in defensive maneuvers during the Maryland Campaign (1862), and in later operations supporting expeditions against Confederate detachments affiliated with commanders like J.E.B. Stuart and Braxton Bragg. In the Western Theater, detachments fought in engagements connected to the Tullahoma Campaign and operations around Chattanooga, including efforts that intersected with the Chattanooga Campaign and the Chickamauga Campaign. The regiment provided picket lines during the Atlanta Campaign and performed occupation duties after the fall of strategic points associated with William T. Sherman's movements. Throughout service the regiment engaged in counterinsurgency and anti-raider actions against forces linked to John S. Mosby and other irregular Confederate units.

Commanders and Leadership

Commanders of the regiment included field officers drawn from Maryland society and returning veterans. Senior leadership included colonels and lieutenant colonels who had served in state militias and volunteer regiments; several officers previously served with reputations established under generals such as Don Carlos Buell, Nathaniel P. Banks, and Benjamin Butler. Brigade and division commanders who exercised control over the regiment at various times included figures linked to the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Cumberland, with operational oversight from corps commanders like Philip H. Sheridan in specific campaigns. Staff officers coordinated with quartermasters attached to logistical networks maintained by the Quartermaster Department.

Personnel and Casualties

Enlistment rosters drawn from Baltimore County, Harford County, and western Maryland reflected a mixture of farmers, artisans, and tradesmen. The regiment included noncommissioned officers promoted from within ranks that had prior militia experience in units such as the Maryland Volunteer Infantry. Casualty figures included deaths from combat wounds sustained in skirmishes linked to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaigns, as well as losses from illnesses common to Civil War armies such as dysentery and typhoid fever. Prisoner-of-war incidents connected to Andersonville Prison and other Confederate prisons affected a minority of the regiment's men, while others received medical attention at field hospitals associated with surgeons trained under standards advocated by Jonathan Letterman.

Equipment and Uniforms

The regiment was equipped with rifled muskets standard to Union volunteer units, including models such as the Springfield Model 1861 and, where available, the Enfield rifled musket. Accouterments followed federal patterns issued by the United States Ordnance Department, including cartridge boxes, bayonets, and canteens. Uniforms varied during service: early issue blue frock coats and sack coats transitioned to fatigue uniforms common in later campaigns; headgear included kepis and forage caps reflecting regulations published by the United States Army and adapted in the field. Regimental colors bore insignia and battle honors recognized by state authorities and the Adjutant General of Maryland.

Legacy and Commemoration

After mustering out in 1865, veterans joined Grand Army of the Republic posts in Baltimore and across Maryland, participating in reunions and dedication ceremonies for monuments near battlefields such as Antietam National Battlefield and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The regiment's service is commemorated in Maryland archives, regimental rosters preserved in the Maryland Historical Society, and inscriptions on monuments and tablets placed at local courthouses and cemeteries like Green Mount Cemetery. Scholarly treatment appears in studies of Maryland's Union regiments alongside works on the Civil War in Maryland and memorial registers of Union volunteer units. Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Maryland